Building blocks building building blocks. That’s Iga Swiatek.
Confused?
The world No.1 has long used LEGO as part of her mental training.
DRAW: Australian Open women’s singles
And that aspect of her tennis preparation has helped Swiatek become a four-time Grand Slam champion aged 22.
So Swiatek called it a “perfect” fit when LEGO recently signed her up as a brand ambassador in her native Poland.
“It's not easy to get a collaboration like that where it's so natural,” Swiatek told reporters on Friday as she readied for Australian Open 2024.
“You guys have been asking me at every tournament if I'm building any LEGOs now. It was an obvious sign that this would work. I'm really happy they were willing to do that.”
Anyone who has used LEGO knows that a rapid disassembling of finished items can be just as fun.
And Swiatek tends to get through her matches in a hurry.
During her ongoing 16-match winning streak – she does not mind a winning streak or two – 14 victories came in straight sets.
Only two outings exceeded the one hour, 45-minute mark, both against former world No.4 Caroline Garcia.
A 17th straight success would come in the first round at AO 24 against a fellow Grand Slam champion on the way back.
Swiatek faces Australian Open 2020 winner Sofia Kenin – who just missed out on a seeding after seeing her ranking slip outside the top 400 in 2022 – after Thursday’s draw produced quite the draw.
Swiatek’s own ranking trajectory has been more steady since downing Kenin to win the October edition of Roland-Garros in 2020 for her maiden Grand Slam title.
“It kind of strikes me sometimes that… my first Grand Slam final was against Sofia and now we're playing in the first round,” said Swiatek ahead of the pair’s second meeting.
“It's pretty weird. That's how our life journeys kind of went apart.
“I know she's been playing some solid tennis. It's not going to be easy. I'll just get prepared the same way as usual.
“We're going to talk about the tactics. We haven't played in a while, so I have to kind of see how she's playing right now. That's all.”
If Swiatek advances, a clash with either AO 16 champion Angelique Kerber – contesting her first major since becoming a mother – or 2022 finalist Danielle Collins follows.
Swiatek beat Germany’s Kerber 6-3 6-0 in the final of the United Cup in early January but lost to Collins two years ago in the semifinals in Melbourne.
Camila Giorgi, Anett Kontaveit, Collins and Rybakina – in last year’s fourth round at Rod Laver Arena – handed Swiatek four of her five defeats at the Australian Open.
Another hard-hitter, Jelena Ostapenko, downed Swiatek in the fourth round at the last Grand Slam, the US Open.
However, Swiatek routinely adjusts her game. She slightly altered her serve in the off-season, reverting to a former motion.
“Sometimes when I got more tight, it got a little bit worse. Hopefully we can avoid that with my new serve,” Swiatek said.
And leading into the 2022 campaign, Swiatek practised how to counteract Ash Barty’s potent slice before the Queenslander announced her retirement months later.
How did Swiatek assess her losses to those big hitters?
“At the US Open for sure I felt like I didn't have time to practise properly for a couple of weeks,” said Swiatek.
“I only practised like one week after Wimbledon. I felt like it wasn't enough for me to feel like I'm in a perfect shape in terms of the technique throughout the whole US Open swing.
“For sure, these are the players that are at the top of the game, and it's not easy to play against them. I wouldn't put together Jelena and Elena's game because they're completely different. For sure there's a lot of stuff I can work on. I feel like I'm going the right direction.
“Also these matches, like, at the US Open, I was feeling pretty stressed overall. It's hard for me to kind of judge my tennis objectively because it wasn't an easy tournament. Tournaments before that, as well.”
A “peaceful” off-season marks a contrast to her 2023 build-up.
“I remember last year it was all pretty hectic because I had plenty of stuff to do off court.
“I realised that sometimes I let myself not be focused 100 per cent because I played so many matches that I said to myself, ‘Okay, I have like six weeks now of not playing matches, so I can kind of chill out.’”
There might be chill out time after AO 2024 but current form suggests Swiatek will be in Melbourne for a while.